Department of Health and Social Care

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding he is providing to help improve the quality of life for dementia patients in care homes in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Inspection reports on individual providers are made publicly available.To accelerate the development of new treatments for dementia, the Government has launched the Dementia Mission, support by £95 million of Government funding. The Mission will work with industry and other United Kingdom initiatives by developing innovations in biomarkers, data and digital sciences, and increasing the number and speed of clinical trials in dementia. The Mission is part of the commitment to double dementia research funding by 2024/25, to £160 million a year.At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government has also made available up to £7.5 billion in additional funding over two years to support adult social care and discharge, with up to £2.8 billion available in 2023/24 and up to £4.7 billion in 2024/25. We also recently confirmed the £570 million Market Sustainability and Investment Fund Workforce Fund, which will support increased adult social care capacity, improve market sustainability and enable local authorities to make tangible improvements to adult social care services. For Solihull, this historic funding increase has provided the council with £3 million in new ring-fenced grant funding in 2023/24.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for dementia diagnosis in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: In Solihull, the waiting time for the Memory Assessment Service (MAS), from point of referral to diagnosis, is seven to eight months.For the Community Mental Health Trust service in Solihull, the volume of patients meeting the threshold for specific assessment is significantly less than for the MAS Service, and from point of referral to diagnosis the average waiting time is three to four months.These are indicative estimates and will be influenced by the clinical presentation of each individual case. For example, if the referral requires additional screening to ascertain a type of dementia via an MRI, this will add a further two to three months to the process.A review is currently underway to understand capacity improvements and develop clear and robust pathways to reduce waiting times.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that people with dementia in Solihull constituency have access to advanced therapeutic interventions.

Helen Whately: The Department has produced guidance on what to expect from health and care services following a dementia diagnosis. The guidance can help those diagnosed with dementia, or caring for someone with dementia, to understand the kind of support and services available to them in England.Advanced therapeutic interventions cover a range of activities, including Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST). CST has been found to help the memory and thinking skills of people with mild to moderate dementia, with people who took part in group therapy reporting improved quality of life. Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that people with mild to moderate dementia should be given the opportunity to take part in a group CST programme. The Community Mental Health Trust has recently re-started formal face-to-face support training of CST for those patients living with dementia when there is clinical evidence that CST will prove a benefit in the management of their dementia.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support families in Solihull constituency affected by dementia.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support at-home carers of dementia patients in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: In England, under the Care Act 2014, all local authorities including Solihull, are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. This might include access to respite and breaks or financial support.The Department has published guidance on what to expect from health and adult social care services after a dementia diagnosis, which includes offering an assessment to the carer. The guidance is available to Solihull’s Constituents and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/after-a-diagnosis-of-dementia-what-to-expect-from-health-and-care-services/after-diagnosis-of-dementia-what-to-expect-from-health-and-care-services

Social Services: Fees and Charges

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's timescales are for introducing the social care cap.

Helen Whately: As announced in the Autumn Statement, we listened to the concerns of local Government and took the difficult decision to delay the planned adult social care charging reforms. The funding intended for charging reform has been retained in local authority budgets to address current pressures and ensure that local authorities have the capacity and system readiness to deliver reform successfully.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in Solihull constituency have been diagnosed with dementia in the last year.

Helen Whately: When a diagnosis of dementia is made, it is shared with the patient’s general practice (GP). As of August 2023, on the central GP database there are 1,636 people living in Solihull with a confirmed diagnosis of dementia.A count of registered patients aged 65 or over with a diagnosis of dementia in Solihull local authority and the percentage of practices participating in the collection in England, from July 2022 to July 2023, is displayed in the table below:MonthCount of patients with a diagnosis of dementiaPractice coverageJuly 20231,66198.59%June 20231,65798.56%May 20231,64498.44%April 20231,64298.35%March 20231,63095.17%February 20231,62794.93%January 20231,63593.66%December 20221,66393.15%November 20221,66793.03%October 20221,40991.16%September 20221,43290.27%August 20221,41990.16%July 20221,42589.56%

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure (a) timely and (b) accurate diagnosis of dementia in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: There are currently a number of initiatives focused on dementia diagnosis, including those seeking to address diagnosis gaps:- in primary care, general practices (GPs) are being supported to identify patients that may need referral to dementia diagnosis services;- a nationally recognised Diadem tool is being led by the Memory Assessment Service and is being used at GP level to assist in the diagnosis of patients living in a care home setting, including in Solihull; and- a pilot scheme in North Solihull involving a dedicated primary care dementia link worker facilitated by the Alzheimer’s Society is supporting primary care in the identification and assessments of people living with Mild Cognitive Impairment.In conjunction with the above, in May 2023 Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board published its ‘2023-2028 Birmingham & Solihull ICB Dementia Strategy’, developed in close partnership with both Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Birmingham City Council and Public Health colleagues, and has resulted in a joint strategic action plan focused on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support.The action plan seeks to address gaps in information and access and health inequalities, and places emphasis on all commissioners in its delivery while strengthening the educational support for care homes across Solihull.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dementia diagnosis centres are operational in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: Across Solihull there are four commissioned services with the relevant team and diagnostic tools able to formally provide a diagnosis of dementia.

Palantir: Contracts

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with NHS trusts who (a) suspended or (b) paused pilots of Palantir Foundry on that company's suitability for NHS contracts.

Will Quince: My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not held discussions with National Health Service trusts running pilots of Palantir’s Foundry software.The use of Foundry by trusts is an operational issue for NHS England. Foundry pilots have been delivering benefits such as enabling trusts to improve hospital discharges and theatre utilisation and to reduce waiting lists through identifying errors.

General Practitioners: Veterans

Dame Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of Op RESTORE procedures among GPs.

Maria Caulfield: Access to Op RESTORE is by general practitioner (GP) referral, therefore it is vital that there is awareness of the service in primary care. There are direct links between Op RESTORE and the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Veteran Friendly Accreditation Scheme, with accredited practices receiving information on the bespoke veterans’ services, such as Op RESTORE and Op COURAGE, including how to refer to them. To date, over 75% of primary care networks have at least one GP practice that is accredited as veteran friendly. In addition, the service is promoted through the Royal College of General Practitioners clinical toolkits and the Op COURAGE service.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people working in laundry businesses that supply NHS hospitals are eligible for the covid-19 booster vaccination in winter 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease (hospitalisation and death) arising from COVID-19. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended a targeted approach focussed on those most vulnerable to serious outcomes from COVID-19 including older individuals and individuals with specified existing clinical conditions.On 8 August 2023, the Government accepted advice from the JCVI on who should be offered a COVID-19 vaccine in the autumn 2023 booster programme. This includes residents in a care home for older adults, all adults aged 65 years and over, persons aged six months to 64 years old in a clinical risk group, frontline health and social care workers, persons aged 12 to 64 years old who are household contacts and persons aged 16 to 64 years old who are carers.The objective of immunisation of frontline health and social care staff is to protect those workers at high risk of exposure who may also expose vulnerable individuals whilst providing care. Individuals working in laundry businesses that supply National Health Service hospitals are not in direct contact with vulnerable individuals and are therefore not, as a group, eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in autumn. However, if individuals meet any of the other criteria for eligibility set out above, they will be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Autism: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is routinely provided to children and young people after receiving an autism diagnosis.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is routinely provided to adults after receiving an autism diagnosis.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) children and (b) young adults that receive an autism diagnosis.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for York Outer on 12 September 2023 to Question 197738.

Autism: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to reduce the backlog of 1,315 people waiting for an autism assessment in south-east London.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle the backlog of people waiting for an autism assessment in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) west Essex.

Maria Caulfield: We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on autism when commissioning services. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.Each ICB in England is expected to have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism, supporting the Board in planning to meet the needs of its local population of people with a learning disability and autistic people, including in relation to appropriate autism assessment pathways. NHS England has published guidance on these roles.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance will help the National Health Service improve autism assessment pathways and improve the experience for people referred to an autism assessment service.In addition, NHS England publish quarterly data on how many people are waiting for an autism assessment and for how long. These are experimental statistics; however, the data does provide useful information nationally and locally to support local areas to improve their performance and to reduce assessment waiting times.

Sodium Valproate: Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of levels of disability in children of men who have been prescribed sodium valporate.

Maria Caulfield: Valproate is recognised to be associated with risks to children which can be disabling, when women take valproate during pregnancy and there are measures in place to ensure women are aware of the risks and the importance of using contraception while taking valproate to minimise the risk of a pregnancy being exposed to valproate.There are concerns that children of men who have been prescribed valproate may also be at risk. A recent study was supplied to regulatory authorities across Europe including the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency which suggested an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children when fathers took valproate. Unfortunately, errors were identified in the study that require reanalysis before conclusions can be drawn, and more information on this is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/safety-of-valproate-new-study-on-risks-in-children-of-men-taking-valproateOnce this reanalysis has been completed the necessary regulatory action will be taken and information provided to healthcare professionals and patients. However, it is worth noting that the initial data did not suggest a risk of major congenital malformations and the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders was much lower than observed in studies when women take valproate during pregnancy.

Health Services: Women

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve healthcare for women in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency and (b) England.

Maria Caulfield: The Women’s Health Strategy sets out how the Government is improving healthcare for women across England. Achievements since the launch of the strategy include appointing the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England; investing £25 million funding in the expansion of women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to services and to create efficiencies for the National Health Service; reducing the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through the launch of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate; and creating a women’s health area on the NHS website to bring together women’s health content and create a first port of call for women seeking information.Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the health needs of their local population.

Autism: Health Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) children and (b) young adults on a waiting list for an autism assessment.

Maria Caulfield: We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on autism when commissioning services for children and adults. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.Additionally, each ICB must have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism to support them to deliver care and support for autistic people of all ages in their area. NHS England has published statutory guidance on these Executive Lead roles.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance provides information on facilitating appropriate pre-assessment support while people are waiting for an assessment and will help improve the experience of people, including children and young adults, who are awaiting an autism assessment. In 2023/24, £4.2 million is available to improve services for autistic children and young people, as well as pre and post diagnostic support, including the continuation of the ‘Autism in Schools’ programme.This year, the Department of Health and Social Care is also working on updating the Statutory Guidance on Autism to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people.In the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the Department for Education set out the intention to improve mainstream education through setting national standards for early identification of need and timely access to support. The Department for Education will also develop new practice guides to support frontline professionals. The first three practice guides will be published by the end of 2025, focusing on advice for mainstream settings, and will include a practice guide on autism.

Chronic Illnesses: Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's funding to treat health problems caused by PFAS chemicals.

Maria Caulfield: There are currently no plans to make an assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Research is currently funding research on the health impacts from exposure to perfluorinated chemicals through their Health Protection Research Unit, a research partnership between Imperial College and the UK Health Security Agency. The results of this research will be published in due course following peer review.

Autism: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is routinely provided to children and young people on the waiting list for an autism assessment.

Maria Caulfield: We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on autism when commissioning services for children and young people. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance provides information on facilitating appropriate pre-assessment support while people are waiting for an assessment and will help improve the experience of people, including children and young people, who are awaiting an autism assessment. In 2023/24, £4.2 million is available to improve services for autistic children and young people, as well as pre and post diagnostic support, including the continuation of the ‘Autism in Schools’ programme.This year, the Department of Health and Social Care is also working on updating the Statutory Guidance on Autism to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people.In the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the Department for Education set out the intention to improve mainstream education through setting national standards for early identification of need and timely access to support. The Department for Education will also develop new practice guides to support frontline professionals. The first three practice guides will be published by the end of 2025, focusing on advice for mainstream settings, and will include a practice guide on autism.

Autism: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is routinely provided to adults on the waiting list for an autism assessment.

Maria Caulfield: We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on autism when commissioning services. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.Additionally, each ICB must have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism to support them to deliver care and support for autistic people in their area. NHS England has published statutory guidance on these Executive Lead roles.NHS England has published a national framework and operational guidance to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways. The guidance aims to support integrated care systems to make the best of their resources by setting out how pathways can best be delivered. This guidance provides information on facilitating appropriate pre-assessment support while people are waiting for an assessment and will help improve the experience of people who are awaiting an autism assessment.This year, the Department is also working on updating the Statutory Guidance on Autism to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the unavailability of testing kits free of charge on the accuracy of national Covid-19 surveillance reports.

Maria Caulfield: The data in the national COVID-19 and flu surveillance reports are accurate based on the data reported to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).The changes in the availability of free COVID-19 testing have not affected the accuracy of data presented within UKHSA’s national COVID-19 and flu surveillance reports. Changes to testing policies over time have changed the volume and breadth of data included in the reports, and this needs to be considered when interpreting that information.However, there continues to be a range of useful and accurate data available within the national COVID-19 and flu surveillance reports taken from other sources, including our ongoing surveillance programmes.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the integration of dementia patients into community activities in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: Whilst the Department does not promote specific clubs or societies for people living with dementia and their carers, we recognise that clubs and societies can be important in supporting people to engage with their community and reducing social isolation.Local authorities are also required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population, including unpaid carers, under the Care Act 2014. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to work with the third sector in their geographical area to offer services that meet the needs of their population.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Quality Standard on Dementia, published in June 2019, includes guidelines for offering activities, such as exercise, aromatherapy, art, gardening, baking, reminiscence therapy, music therapy, mindfulness and animal assisted therapy, to help promote wellbeing.There are a number of local initiatives provided via third sector charitable organisations that focus on support for those within their community living with dementia, allowing them to engage more closely with the communities they live in. For example, within Solihull there is a Dementia Café facility and the opportunity to attend a Singing for the Brain event.

Dementia: Hypertension

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of research trials on the link between vascular dementia and high blood pressure.

Helen Whately: While no specific assessment has been made, we recognise that high blood pressure is one of a number of modifiable risk factors for dementia, as identified in ‘Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission’.The Department’s Neurology & Dementia Intelligence Team undertook an analysis of an anonymised sample primary care database in 2017, to provide an understanding of the types of comorbidities that people with a formal diagnosis of dementia lived with, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dementia-comorbidities-in-patients/dementia-comorbidities-in-patients-data-briefingThe analysis found that 44% of people with dementia were also found to have a diagnosis of hypertension, while this increased to 55% of people living with vascular dementia. A diagnosis of stroke or transient ischaemic attack is at least twice as likely in patients with vascular dementia (35%) than in all other forms of dementia.The Government has announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy covering six conditions, including dementia. The Major Conditions Strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda with a shift to integrated, whole-person care, and will cover prevention, diagnosis and long-term treatment and care.The Government spent over £413 million on dementia research from 2017/18 to 2021/22. In our 2019 manifesto we committed to double funding for dementia research. We will double funding for dementia research to £160 million per year by 2024/25. This will span all areas of research, from causes and prevention to treatment and care, delivering evidence to help prevent, diagnose and treat dementia, enabling the best possible care and quality of life for people with dementia.

Carers: Health

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that full-time carers have access to support to help (a) prevent burnout and (b) maintain their (i) mental and (ii) physical well-being.

Helen Whately: The Care Act (2014) requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers. Local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer.For 2023/24, the Better Care Fund earmarked £327 million to support local authorities with health and care services, including providing carers with advice, support, short breaks, and respite services.The NHS Long Term Plan has also committed an additional £2.3 billion this year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by March 2024 so that an additional two million people, including full-time carers, can get the National Health Service-funded mental health support that they need.

Social Services: Staff

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase staff (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the adult social care sector.

Helen Whately: We are investing at least £250 million over the next two years on workforce reforms, a key objective of which is to improve retention and turnover rates.In July we announced the £570 million Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund -Workforce Fund to support increased adult social care capacity, improve market sustainability, and enable local authorities to make tangible improvements to adult social care services, with a particular focus on workforce pay. Local authorities can choose to use this funding to increase adult social care workforce and improve retention.We are also supporting recruitment and retention by delivering our ongoing National Recruitment Campaign; working with the Department of Work and Pensions to promote adult social care careers to jobseekers; and supporting international recruitment.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support community-led initiatives for dementia support in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: Whilst the Department does not promote specific clubs or societies for people living with dementia and their carers, we recognise that clubs and societies can be important in supporting people to engage with their community and reduce social isolation.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Quality Standard on Dementia, published in June 2019, includes guidelines for offering activities such as exercise, aromatherapy, art, gardening, baking, reminiscence therapy, music therapy, mindfulness and animal assisted therapy to help promote wellbeing. Local authorities are also required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population, including unpaid carers, under the Care Act 2014.There are a number of local initiatives provided via third sector charitable organisations that focus on support within their community living with dementia, allowing them to engage closer with the communities they live in. For example, within Solihull there is the facility of a Dementia Café and the ability to attend a Singing for the Brain event.

Dementia: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to establish additional dementia care facilities in Solihull constituency.

Helen Whately: The Government is making available up to £2.8 billion of additional funding for social care in 2023/24 and £4.7 billion in 2024/25 to support local authorities with adult social care and discharge, the biggest funding increase in history.Local authorities are best placed to plan for the care and support needs of their local population. That is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape their local markets, to ensure a diverse range of high quality, sustainable, person-centred care and support services are available to meet the needs of the local population, including those with dementia.

Community Diagnostic Centres

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on rolling out Community Diagnostic Centres.

Will Quince: £2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. The remainder of the funding will increase capacity for imaging, endoscopy as well as lung and mammography screening, and improve digital diagnostics.As of September 2023, there are 121 CDCs currently operational that have delivered over five million additional tests since July 2021, including large, standard and hub models. This compares with over 92 CDCs being operational as of September 2022, having delivered over two million additional tests since July 2021. We are on track to meet the target of up to 160 CDCs by March 2025.

Hospitals: Discharges

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of hospital process-related delays to discharge in each of the last 12 months.

Helen Whately: NHS England publishes monthly management information on the reason for discharge delays. The data, along with information on how it should be interpreted, is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays-acute-data/

Health Services

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of the 25 of May 2023 to Question 185279 on Health Services and with reference to Lord Markham's letter of 30 August 2023 to the Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, whether the figures on the average impact across the 24 trusts involved in realising benefits through the Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients Programme on (a) waiting list reduction and (b) increased efficient usage theatres are available; and if will take steps to publish that data.

Will Quince: The Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients Programme is still in the pilot stage and data continues to be collated to assess the benefits that are being derived from the implementation of the Care Coordination Solution tool. The tool remains at different stages of implementation in each of the pilot trusts and NHS England is working with the trusts. NHS England is committed to sharing data in due course as the tool is embedded further and more data points become available.

NHS: Staff

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff absences occurred in each of the past 12 months.

Will Quince: The following table shows the monthly number of full-time equivalent days lost to sickness absence in each of the last 12 months for which data is available. Due to differing numbers of days within months and an increasing workforce over the period, the days available and rate of sickness absence are also shown to allow comparison. Full Time Equivalent Days Lost to Sickness Absence (includes non-working days)Sickness Absence RateMay 20222,017,8284.90%June 20222,079,6955.22%July 20222,493,7996.05%August 20222,072,7495.01%September 20222,018,5615.01%October 20222,350,4775.60%November 20222,224,4225.44%December 20222,663,7496.28%January 20232,264,9125.32%February 20231,930,6635.00%March 20232,124,7704.94%April 20231,875,5904.51%

Continuing Care

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Continuing Healthcare patients are (a) eligible for and (b) receive 24-hour care.

Helen Whately: Based on data published by NHS England, 162,005 people were eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare in 2022/2023.Data on the number of people receiving 24-hour care is not collected.

Care Homes: Standards

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many care homes were rated inadequate by the CQC in each of the last 13 years.

Helen Whately: The Care Quality Commission started rating care home locations in October 2014.The number of care homes rated inadequate by year is displayed in the table below.YearNumber of care homes rated inadequate201422201557620165522017487201845320194132020270202133820223712023264

Hospitals: Buildings

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide financial support for (a) repair and (b) reconstruction of NHS hospitals affected by the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the completion date for the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from the NHS estate.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to prioritise hospitals for reconstruction related to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Will Quince: The National Health Service has a comprehensive mitigation plan in place for hospital buildings with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), including significant additional funding worth £698m from 2021 to 2025 for trusts to put in place necessary remediation and failsafe measures, such as propping, as well as to eradicate RAAC in non-whole hospital sites. Further, the seven worst affected hospitals are being rebuilt by 2030 through the New Hospital Programme.We have committed to eradicating RAAC from the publicly owned NHS estate by 2035, protecting patient and staff safety in the interim period, with NHS prioritising NHS trusts of concern. The estimated cost of full eradication through to 2035 will change over time due to several factors and will be considered at each spending review.

Social Services: LGBT+ People

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle incidents of (a) abuse and (b) discrimination against LGBT+ people in care settings.

Helen Whately: People have a right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect, and should expect high quality care and support tailored to meet their needs. Nobody should be disadvantaged due to their sex, sexual orientation or gender reassignment. A range of measures are in place to prevent abuse and discrimination, and to investigate where any concerns are raised. Care providers have a key role in safeguarding and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines state that care homes should have a known safeguarding lead. The current Care Certificate standards cover equality and diversity. As part of its inspection regime, the Care Quality Commission checks that care providers have effective systems to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect. Looking at the quality of care for LGBT people in adult social care has been one of its Equality Objectives for several years. Finally, local authorities have a legal duty to investigate safeguarding concerns under the Care Act 2014.

Diabetes: Drugs

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with international counterparts on addressing shortages medicines to treat type 2 diabetes.

Will Quince: The Department has established processes to manage disruption to medical products and protect patient care. Supply chains for medical products are complex, global, and highly regulated, making them vulnerable to a variety of shocks, including around manufacture failure, demand spikes, international trade activity and disruption to logistics. In this specific case of medicines to treat type 2 diabetes, we are aware of a global supply issue with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists which are licensed for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. Whilst no specific discussions have been had with international counterparts, we are committed to working with international partners on the broader supply agenda.We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers of medicines to treat type 2 diabetes and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply for patients in the United Kingdom, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries. Alongside, we have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring these medicines whilst there are in shortage and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.

Bupropion and Lisdexamfetamine

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of (a) Lisdexamfetamine and (b) Bupropion Hydrochloride.

Will Quince: The Department is aware of intermittent supply disruptions affecting Elvanse (lisdexamfetamine) capsules. We continue to work with the respective manufacturer to ensure continuous supply is resumed quickly. However, we can confirm that Elvanse 20mg, 40mg and 60mg capsules are currently in stock and pharmacies should be able to obtain stock via normal wholesaler routes.We are also aware of a shortage with Bupropion. The resupply date of this product is still to be confirmed. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals on this shortage in December 2022. Guidance advises on the management of patients who require this medication for both licensed and off-label indications. Clinicians can advise patients on suitable alternative products, and other management options that can be considered. This includes unlicensed bupropion 150mg modified release tablets which have been sourced.

Social Services: Resignations

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff left the adult social care workforce in each of the last five years.

Helen Whately: Skills for Care have published data on the number of employees who left an adult social care role in a local authority or independent provider as a proportion of the total number of those employees in each year from 2012/13 to 2021/22 (turnover rate).The latest figures from Skills for Care (published July 2023) show the turnover rate for the independent sector decreased from 32% to 30% in 2022/23. Turnover rates for the independent sector for the last five years are displayed in the table below.Year2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23Annual employee turnover (independent sector only)32%33%31%32%30%Source: Skills for Care adult social care workforce estimates: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/documents/ASC-Workforce-Statistical-Appendix-2022.xlsxHowever, it is important to note that Skills for Care’s publication does not include the destination of workers leaving a job in the adult social care sector. This means that we cannot distinguish between those who have left the sector entirely (or which sector they have moved to) and those moving between jobs within the sector.

Attorney General

Crown Prosecution Service: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Attorney General, how many people were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity since 2020.

Michael Tomlinson: The total full time equivalent “FTE” staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity since 2020 are listed below:• 5.25 FTE staff as of December 2020• 6.35 FTE staff as of December 2021• 5.35 FTE staff as of December 2022• 5.1 FTE staff as of 31 August 2023

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Mike Freer: The Liaison Committee recently launched an inquiry into select committee scrutiny of strategic thinking across Whitehall. The Government will be providing written evidence to this in due course.The Lord Chancellor is responsible for oversight of all ministerial portfolios and Ministry of Justice strategy. An overview of ministerial portfolios for the Ministry of Justice is here: Ministry of Justice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Addressing long-term issues is part of the work of the Department across all our policy areas.

Prisons: Drug Seizures

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drug seizures took place in prisons from March (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 in each institution.

Damian Hinds: In the 12 months to March 2023, the number of incidents where drugs were found in prisons decreased to 14,724 from 17,700 in the previous 12-month period, a decrease of 17%.The accompanying table contains data on all drug finds in each prison across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 period.This fall follows action by this Government. Our £100m Security Investment Programme to reduce crime and prevent drugs entering prisons completed in March 2022. This funded a range of security measures, including X-ray body scanners across the entire closed male estate. Since July 2020, these have resulted in over 10,000 positive scans, many finding multiple contraband items, preventing drugs and mobile phones and other illicit items from entering prisons. We are going further this year with £25m investment to restrict drug supply into prisons, including installing x-ray baggage scanners at 42 high priority sites, and enhancing our mobile blocking technology.Alongside this, the Ministry of Justice is investing £120m over the next three years to get more offenders engaged in treatment, and support them towards abstinence. With this investment, we will enhance testing regimes in prison, expand the use of Drug Recovery Wings where prisoners commit to remain drug-free and undergo regular voluntary drug tests, support prisoners to engage with community treatment ahead of their release and increase the use of intensive drug rehabilitation requirements for those on community sentences.Table (xlsx, 20.0KB)

Wandsworth Prison: Staff

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average ratio of staff to inmates was at HMP Wandsworth in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years.

Damian Hinds: The average ratio of all HMPPS staff to prisoners at HMP Wandsworth for the 12 months to the end of June 2023 and the previous five years is shown in the table below. Table 112 months to end of JuneStaff/prisoner ratioJune 20180.3June 20190.4June 20200.4June 20210.4June 20220.4June 20230.4 Note:Average is calculated from averaging end of quarter snapshots during the previous 12 monthsThis data includes all staff located at HMP Wandsworth- not only Band 3-5 Prison Officers

Wandsworth Prison: Staff

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the ratio of staff to inmates at HMP Wandsworth in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years.

Damian Hinds: The average ratio of all HMPPS staff to prisoners at HMP Wandsworth for the 12 months to the end of June 2023 and the previous five years is shown in the table below. Aside from the period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic when regime delivery was set centrally, for the past 5 years the Governor at HMP Wandsworth, as in all prisons, uses the regime management plan to establish safe levels of delivery in the prison depending on staff availability. Table 112 months to end of JuneStaff/prisoner ratioJune 20180.3June 20190.4June 20200.4June 20210.4June 20220.4June 20230.4 Note:Average is calculated from averaging end of quarter snapshots during the previous 12 monthsThis data includes all staff located at HMP Wandsworth- not only Band 3-5 Prison Officers

Prisoners on Remand: Risk Assessment

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how frequently HM Prison and Probation Service conducts risk assessments for prisoners held on remand for (a) terror-related and (b) national security-related offences.

Damian Hinds: HM Prison and Probation Service conducts certain risk assessments for all prisoners held on remand, such as a cell sharing risk assessment. Specific escape risk assessments are triggered where intelligence/information is received that suggests a prisoner poses a risk of potential escape.There is a multi-agency, end-to-end case management process to manage the risk posed by terrorist offenders specifically.Individuals charged with offences connected to terrorism are automatically considered for Category A conditions. When a prisoner is on remand for a terrorist offence, they will also have an initial assessment applied, which identifies the level at which the terrorist risk should be managed. The assessment will be repeated every six months for all prisoners on remand for terrorist offences. Subsequent assessments and interventions are deployed following sentencing.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any prisoners have been moved to higher security prisons since the escape of a prisoner from HMP Wandsworth.

Damian Hinds: As a precautionary measure, HMPPS has moved a number of prisoners out of HMP Wandsworth following the escape of a prisoner from that establishment into prisons with an equal or higher security classification

Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prosecutions for sexual offence cases are awaiting a (a) trial and (b) other court hearing, as of 13 September 2023.

Edward Argar: The volume of outstanding sexual offence cases at the Crown Court in England and Wales is routinely published as part of the National Statistics series ‘Criminal court statistics quarterly’. The latest published data is available to the end of March 2023 and can be found as part of the ‘Crown Court cases received, disposed and outstanding tool’ which is available at the link below:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1166126/cc_rdos_tool.xlsx ‘For trial' cases relates to the case type at the point of receipt into the Crown Court - these are the cases that could go to trial, but they may not necessarily result in a trial (i.e. if a guilty plea is entered). It is not currently possible to separately identify cases which are awaiting a trial start from those which are ongoing in the published statistics.

Prison Sentences

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the length of prison sentences for people convicted of a crime who decline to attend their sentencing hearing on prison capacity.

Edward Argar: Offenders should be brought before the court to face the consequences of their crimes.  That is why on 30 August 2023, the Government announced its intention to introduce a new court order requiring an offender to attend their sentencing hearing. It will be for judges to decide whether to make such an order. Serious offenders convicted of an offence which carries a maximum of life imprisonment, who breach such an order, will face an additional penalty of up to 2 years’ imprisonment. A full impact assessment will be published once the measures are introduced, which will be as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Prisoners: Parents

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of children in England and Wales who had a parent in prison on 13 September 2023.

Damian Hinds: The Ministry of Justice’s most comprehensive estimate suggests over the course of a year, approximately 200,000 children may be affected by a parent being in or going to prison. However, this estimate is based on 2009 survey data. The Prisons Strategy White Paper includes a commitment to improve the quality of the data collected on children impacted by parental imprisonment. We will deliver this commitment through our Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) Programme. BOLD is a cross government project which will link data to enable better evidenced and more joined up cross government services. Through BOLD, we will explore data sharing to improve our understanding of the number of children with parents in prison. Changes have also been made to the Basic Custody Screening Tool to enable us to collect data on entry to prison about how many primary carers are in custody and how many children under the age of 18 are affected by their imprisonment. The learning from the data collected will be incorporated into findings from the BOLD programme, which will be delivered by March 2024.

Prisons: Drugs

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many random mandatory drug tests were carried out by HM Prison and Probation Service from March 2022-2023 by institution.

Damian Hinds: Between March 2022 and March 2023, a total of 41,308 random mandatory drug tests were carried out by HM Prison and Probation Service in 122 prison establishments. Please see the accompanying table. All random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) was paused in March 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low levels of testing resumed from September 2020 in line with establishments’ position within the National Framework for managing COVID-19 before formal performance expectations around rMDT volumes were re-instated in April 2022. As set out in the HMPPS Annual Digest 2022-23 publication, rMDT levels did not return to the pre-pandemic levels in 2022-23. The levels of testing delivered varies across the estate from month to month and was impacted by the level of regime being operated by prisons, in line with staffing resource and other operational pressures.Table (xlsx, 18.6KB)

Prisons: Drugs

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the target was for the number of random mandatory drug tests to be carried out by HM Prison and Probation Service staff in the year to March 2023.

Damian Hinds: Between start March 2022 and end March 2023, the national Key Performance Indicator target of expected random mandatory tests to be completed was 54,138 based on an overall prison population ranging from 79,698 in March 2022 to 83,918 in March 2023.All random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) was paused in March 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low levels of testing resumed from September 2020 in line with establishments’ position within the National Framework for managing COVID-19 before formal performance expectations around rMDT volumes were re-instated in April 2022. As set out in the HMPPS Annual Digest 2022-23 publication, rMDT levels did not return to the pre-pandemic levels in 2022-23. The levels of testing delivered varies across the estate from month to month and was impacted by the level of regime being operated by prisons, in line with staffing resource and other operational pressures.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Norfolk

Sir Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent progress he has made on a devolution deal for Norfolk.

Jacob Young: Government is committed to delivering a devolution deal to every area which wants one by 2030 – because we know how transformative empowered local leadership can be.We have been working closely with leaders in Norfolk since the signing of the £600 million Norfolk County Deal. I would like to take this opportunity to commend Council Leader Kay Mason Billig for her continued efforts to secure the best possible deal for Norfolk and its residents.

Social Rented Housing: Concrete

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the extent of the use of RAAC in social housing.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 197493 on 11 September 2023.

Property Management Companies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to require property management companies to keep (a) public and (b) transparent records of expenses incurred on each building they manage.

Rachel Maclean: I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 198682 on 18 September 2023.

First Time Buyers: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help first-time home buyers in the London Borough of Havering.

Rachel Maclean: The Government has a range of home ownership schemes that are available to first time buyers, including those in the London Borough of Havering, including First Homes and Shared Ownership.

Public Buildings: Disability

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that facilities for people with disabilities in public buildings are kept in adequate condition.

Lee Rowley: The Building Regulations 2010 apply to building work including new construction, extensions and material alterations. Part M of the Building Regulations sets requirements for access to and use of buildings, extensions and provision of sanitary conveniences. Building Regulations and the statutory guidance supporting them are reviewed and updated from time to time; and building work must be carried out so that it complies with the version of Building Regulations requirements in force.

Flats: Lifts

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that repairs to lifts in apartment buildings are treated as emergencies.

Lee Rowley: Apartment buildings that are at least 7 storeys or 18 metres in height will be part of the new regulatory regime brought about by the Building Safety Act (2022). From later in autumn those responsible for repairing the common parts of buildings will be required to identify and assess building safety risks, including risks associated with lifts, and take all reasonable steps to ensure those risks are mitigated and controlled to a proportionate level on an ongoing basis.The new Building Safety Regulator will be carrying out assessments from April 2024 to make sure that those responsible are managing building safety risks and complying with their duties under the new legislation.

Wilko: Insolvency

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to minimise the loss of economic activity on high streets after the closure of Wilko.

Jacob Young: The Government recognises the pressures faced by high street businesses, announcing in the Autumn Statement 2022 a package of changes to business rates worth £13.6 billion over the next 5 years in lower bills. This is in addition to the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.The Department for Business and Trade are working with the Retail Sector Council on the strategic issues facing the sector, including costs to businesses, the importance of place and the high street, and consumer protections. The process of administration has yet to conclude, and we understand that consideration is being given to interest from potential purchasers for some of the Wilko stores. Physical retail remains a key part of the high street and a thriving high street will need a strong retail offering. Government is clear that we want all types of retail to thrive now and in the future.We continue to work with local leaders to support town centre regeneration, including in Southport, which was awarded £37.5 million through our Town’s Fund and a further £20 million to support the repurposing of the Strand Shopping Centre and the wider transformation of Bootle Town Centre.

Home Office

Bicycles: Locks and Keys

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will hold discussions with industry representatives on the potential merits of bringing forward proposals to establish security standards for bike locks.

Chris Philp: The Department for Transport and Active Travel England are working with the police-led National Cycle Crime Group to support regional cycle crime enforcement partnerships and raise awareness of better security, especially around effective ways for people to secure their cycles.The Home Office has no plans to introduce security standards for bike locks.

Home Office: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Chris Philp: The Liaison Committee recently launched an inquiry into select committee scrutiny of strategic thinking across Whitehall.The Government will be providing written evidence to this in due course. Under Rishi Sunak, this Conservative Government will always look to make the right long-term decisions for the country.

Asylum: Boats

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's factsheet: asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port, updated on 25 August 2023, what fire safety standards she has applied to the Bibby Stockholm; and to which industry standards the factsheet refers.

Robert Jenrick: Under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a legal obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.In the Netherlands and Belgium, the authorities have delivered accommodation for asylum seekers on vessels in a safe and secure manner.The Bibby Stockholm vessel has been used for decades to provide safe and decent accommodation to oil rig workers and was used between 1995 to 1998 to accommodate refugees in Germany.Corporate Travel Management (CTM) are responsible for managing the services on the barge. CTM managed two Scottish vessels housing refugees and have a strong track record of providing this kind of accommodation. We are confident that it will continue to manage the vessel and its supporting services. CTM has worked closely and successfully with local authorities and other public and voluntary organisations in Scotland.The Bibby Stockholm adheres to the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 and has an appropriate fire risk assessment that complies to those regulations including safety features such as fire doors, fire detection systems and firefighting equipment at strategic locations.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of asylum seekers that have entered the UK via small boats in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes statistics on small boat arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK statistics’ release. Data on asylum applications from small boat arrivals is published in table Irr_D02 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed dataset’ with the latest data up to the end of June 2023.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.

Home Office: Correspondence

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time is that it takes his Department to respond to Members’ correspondence.

Chris Philp: The Home Office do not routinely report against average response times. Data regarding the volume of correspondence responded within the Cabinet Office set 20 day service level agreement, which can be found at:Customer service operations data: Q2 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)In the last reporting period (April – June 2023) the Home Office responded to 98% of correspondence from Members within 20 days.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nutrients: Environment Protection

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent advice the Government received from Natural England on Government policy on problem nutrients.

Trudy Harrison: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to her PQ 198699 of 21 September 2023.

Climate Change: Inland Waterways

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of climate change on (a) inland waterways and (b) the costs of maintaining inland waterways.

Rebecca Pow: Ministers do not have a role in operational matters on inland waterways, which rests with the navigation authorities that own and manage them. This includes having appropriate maintenance programmes in place to ensure public safety and resilience of their assets and infrastructure against the effects of climate change. Under the upcoming fourth round of climate adaptation reporting (ARP4), introduced under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government will invite the Canal and River Trust (C&RT) and the Environment Agency to report on their canal and river activities. On 10 July the Government announced a very substantial grant of over £400 million new funding for the C&RT between 2027 and 2037. This is a significant sum of money and a sign of the importance that we place on our inland waterways. It will provide the C&RT with certainty about the level of Government grant funding for its future business planning and continue to support the C&RT to maintain its canal network.

Dangerous Dogs

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislation to ban (a) new dogs and (b) cross-breeds in addition to those dogs already banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is taking urgent action to bring forward a ban on XL Bully dog types following a concerning rise in attacks and fatalities, which appear to be driven by this type of dog. We intend to have the legislation in place to deliver this by the end of the year.

Office for Environmental Protection

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Office for Environmental Protection.

Trudy Harrison: Defra published a review of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) as part of the Government’s Public Bodies Review Programme in July 2022.

Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure compliance by animal owners with the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023.

Trudy Harrison: My Department will work with welfare organisations, the training sector and the veterinary profession to raise awareness of the ban on the use of e-collars ahead of the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations coming into force. Attaching an electronic shock collar to a cat or dog, or possessing a remote-control device capable of activating such a collar when attached to a cat or dog, will be an offence under the regulations and could lead to prosecution, which may lead to a criminal penalty or an unlimited fine.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department has allocated to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the 2023-24 financial year.

Trudy Harrison: Defra does not make an allocation to the RSPB as part of the central business planning processes. The RSPB is able to apply for grant funding.

Swimming

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to extend the period of testing bathing water sites to 52 weeks a year.

Rebecca Pow: Defra will continue to reflect on changes in how and where people use bathing waters, including new evidence where it exists around when and where people use bathing waters, to feed into future bathing water policy development.

Swimming: Public Service Messages

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanism her Department has for provision of public information on bathing water testing at locations across England.

Rebecca Pow: The results of water quality sampling by the Environment Agency at designated bathing waters in England are displayed on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website: https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/. Local authorities are required to provide information about each bathing water through signage in the vicinity of the site, including the site’s current bathing water quality classification and any advice against bathing which has been issued there. Signs often include a link to water sampling information on the Swimfo website.

Water: Standards

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which public body is responsible for informing the public of bathing water test results.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency is the public body responsible for informing the public of bathing water test results. The Environment Agency provides this information on the Swimfo website: https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/.

Horticulture: Peat

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the proposed ban on the sale of horticultural peat in England will apply to imported peat from non-UK countries.

Trudy Harrison: We intend to apply the same restrictions, and exemptions, to imports and domestically produced products containing peat.

Natural England: Correspondence

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish all correspondence sent between Natural England and her Department on changes to regulations on nutrient neutrality and the delivery of new homes since 1 May 2023; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions by Government and its Arm’s Length Bodies are not normally disclosed. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 4 September 2023, HCWS1003, outlining the benefits from the Government's proposed reforms which will improve water quality and help deliver more homes.

Nature Conservation: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) Natural England, (b) private sector stakeholders and (c) other organisations on the potential impact of the proposed changes to nutrient neutrality rules on private investment in nature recovery.

Trudy Harrison: Defra Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with a range of stakeholders on private investment in nature recovery, including Natural England, private sector stakeholders and other organisations. We remain committed to delivering a step change in private investment to support our ambitious goals for nature’s recovery. We are supporting this through a range of measures as set out in the 2023 Green Finance Strategy and Nature Markets Framework. By unlocking stalled development, alongside the initiatives on biodiversity net gain, the Government’s proposed reforms would increase private investment in natural recovery.

Property Development: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Climate Change Act 2008 on trends in the number of property developments since 2008.

Trudy Harrison: The lead department on this issue is DESNZ. Defra has therefore made no such assessment.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentres: Training

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hours the training programme for a work coach was in September 2015.

Guy Opperman: DWP records and archives covering the duration of training for a work coach are not held for 2015.

Treasury

Ulster Bank: Loans

Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the use of (a) interest rate hedging and (b) swap-like products in connection with fixed rate loans products by Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Griffith: In June the High Court granted permission for a legal review of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) handling of the compensation for victims of the mis-selling of Interest Rate Hedging Products (IRHPs). A final hearing is expected to take place in 2024. In the meantime, I hope you can appreciate that it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on an ongoing legal case.

Central Bank Digital Currencies

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of a UK central bank digital currency on the right to privacy.

Andrew Griffith: Individuals’ privacy, user control and the proper use of data in line with UK data protection laws are of paramount importance to the public, HM Treasury and the Bank of England. The Government recognises the launch of a digital pound would require deep public trust in this new form of money – trust that their money would remain safe, accessible, and private. The digital pound would be subject to rigorous standards of privacy and data protection. Neither the Government nor the Bank of England would have access to personal data, nor be able to see how consumers use their money.  Similarly, the Government and the Bank of England would not put any restrictions on how the public choose to spend digital pounds – users would have complete freedom in how they spent their money. We consulted on the privacy features of a potential digital pound in February, and we are currently reviewing the feedback received from industry and the general public. We will publish a consultation response publication in due course.

Central Bank Digital Currencies

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of a UK central bank digital currency on financial exclusion.

Andrew Griffith: The Government is committed to promoting financial inclusion, meaning that individuals, regardless of their background or income, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. These include banking, payment services, credit, insurance, and the use of financial technology. The consultation on the digital pound closed on 30 June, and we are now assessing the responses. We will publish a consultation response publication in due course. A digital pound could help financial exclusion. Financial inclusion and the needs of vulnerable people will be considered by HM Treasury and the Bank of England at every stage.

Treasury: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Gareth Davies: The Chancellor of the Exchequer holds overall responsibility for the work of the Treasury, supported by five Treasury Ministers with clearly defined portfolios. The department leads on three of the Prime Minister's five priorities: reducing inflation, growing the economy, and reducing debt. Delivering on these priorities is vital during a period of short-term economic challenge for both the UK and the global economy, and essential to improving the UK’s long term economic outlook and delivering for the people of the UK. HMT takes a flexible and dynamic approach to resourcing in order to meet Government priorities. Many staff working on long-term strategic issues or horizon scanning do so alongside the department’s other policy priorities. We do not routinely record the number of full time equivalent civil servants who work on individual policy initiatives or issues.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Alex Burghart: The Liaison Committee recently launched an inquiry into select committee scrutiny of strategic thinking across Whitehall. The Government will be providing written evidence to this in due course. The Cabinet Office has a robust strategic planning regime which promotes horizon scanning and attention to long-term strategic challenges and issues, delivering current priority projects, and responding to current events.This regime and the principles that underpin it are set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework. Under the Prime Minister, this Conservative Government will always look to make the right long-term decisions for the country.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Grant Shapps: I have overall responsibility for the business of the Department. All Ministers within Defence are responsible for policy and delivery areas. Teams across the Department will be conducting horizon-scanning and ensuring current work is aligned with long-term priorities. In addition, and pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2023 to Question 198126, there are approximately 113 officials in the Department, who have particular responsibility for undertaking horizon scanning work and focusing on delivering long-term priorities.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Ofgem: Conflict of Interests

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to investigate whether the former Director of Retail at Ofgem accurately declared conflicts of interest during his tenure at Ofgem in the context of reports that his wife held shares in an energy provider; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that reported conflict of interest on the effectiveness of Ofgem’s regulatory policy and decision-making.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem is a non-Ministerial Government Department and independent regulator. It is directly accountable to Parliament for the performance of its functions, therefore, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has no authority to investigate Ofgem’s activities.

Wind Power

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing restrictions on the creation of new onshore wind farms.

Graham Stuart: In December 2022, the Government published a consultation on making changes to national planning policy for new onshore wind farms in England. After consideration of all responses, on 5 September the Government set out changes to make it easier for local authorities to allocate suitable areas for onshore wind developments and to provide greater flexibility in addressing associated planning impacts.

Department for Business and Trade

Question

Miriam Cates: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support energy-intensive industries with energy costs.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We are determined to secure the future for our energy intensive industries (EIIs) to protect UK jobs. To strengthen our existing support that has already provided over £2billion since 2013, the Government has announced the British Industry Supercharger to support those most exposed to the costs of electricity. The measures will bring the energy costs of the UK’s energy intensive industries in line with those across the world’s major economies. This is crucial to help these businesses remain internationally competitive and will enhance the UK’s attractiveness as a destination for international investment.

Supply Chains: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her Irish counterpart on promoting resilient supply chains across the island of Ireland.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Ministers and officials regularly engage with counterparts in Ireland to discuss a range of issues. The Department for Business and Trade works to strengthen the long-term resilience of the UK’s international critical supply chains, including through international discussions to collaborate on economic resilience, bringing partners and allies together and share expertise.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Sir John Whittingdale: The department is working hard to ensure that long term strategic challenges are considered in its day-to-day activity across policy, resources and legislation. Time and attention is dedicated to staying abreast of future issues in order to help the department and its sectors remain resilient to both short and long term impacts.Horizon scanning is one of a number of means through which future trends and challenges are explored to ensure that the department is in the best position possible to adapt, respond and overcome the challenges of the day, as well as those for the longer term.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Visits Abroad

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the data on Ministerial travel for her Department, January to March 2023, last updated on 27 July 2023, how much was spent for the visit by the Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries to Barcelona from 27 February to 1 March on (a) flights and (b) accommodation.

Sir John Whittingdale: Minister Lopez travelled to Barcelona to attend Mobile World Congress. The return flight cost £334.46 and her accommodation cost £928.54.

Football Association Premier League: Broadcasting

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the Premier League and (b) TV broadcasters on the proportion of Premier League games that are available to watch by (i) English and (ii) overseas audiences.

Stuart Andrew: I have not had any recent discussions with the Premier League or TV broadcasters on the proportion of Premier League games that are available to watch by English and overseas audiences. Domestic and international television broadcasting deals are a matter for the Premier League.